Austerlitz () is a village in the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

province of

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Nethe ...

. It is a part of the municipality of

Zeist Zeist () is the capital and largest town of the municipality of Zeist. The town is located in the Utrecht province of the Netherlands, east of the city of Utrecht. History The town of "Seist" was first mentioned in a charter in the year ...

, and lies about 6 km east of Zeist.

History

In 1804, an army camp was established at the site, called French camp. The town was founded on 17 August 1806 on the location of the camp. It was given its name by King

Louis Napoleon Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

in honour of the victory of his brother, emperor Napoleon in the

Battle of Austerlitz The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805/11 Frimaire An XIV FRC), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important and decisive engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle occurred near the town of Austerlitz i ...

. In 1840, it was home to 233 people. Close to the town, there is an artificial hill called the

Pyramid of Austerlitz The Pyramid of Austerlitz is a 36-metre-high pyramid of earth, built in 1804 by Napoleon's soldiers on one of the highest points of the Utrecht Hill Ridge, in the municipality of Woudenberg, Woudenberg, the Netherlands. Atop the pyramid is a stone ...

(), actually part of the municipality

Woudenberg Woudenberg () is a municipality and a town in the central Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. There are forests in the western part of the municipality. The Pyramid of Austerlitz is located in the municipality. Etymology The name Woudenbe ...

. It used to have a wooden

obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by An ...

, but was removed in 1808 due to instability. In 1894, a stone obelisk added to the top.

Gallery

File:Austerlitz 2.jpg, Bandstand in Austerlitz File:Austerlitz De Hoeksteen.jpg, Church in Austerlitz File:Austerlitz Dorpsplein 10.jpg, House in Austerlitz File:Austerlitz Dorpspomp.jpg, Village pump

References

Populated places in Utrecht (province) Zeist 1806 establishments in the Netherlands {{Utrecht-geo-stub